1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a device for determining the position of an object in relation to a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, for use in a driver assistance system of the vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the area of driver assistance systems for motor vehicles, ultrasound sensors were preferably used in the past. However, conventional ultrasound sensors only deliver information concerning the distance of an object in relation to the position of the ultrasound sensor but not concerning the relative offset angle of the object. However, for various driver assistance systems, such as, for example, parking space measurement or automatic parking systems, the relative position of an object, i.e., the offset angle, is of crucial importance in addition to the distance.
From published German patent application document DE 40 23 538 A1, a collision warning device having a device for contactless distance measurement is known, at least two ultrasonic sensors being situated at a predefined distance and a device for evaluating the transit times between the transmission of each ultrasonic signal and the reception of a reflected ultrasonic signal of the one and of the other ultrasonic sensor (cross measurement) being provided. In this connection, the device for evaluating the transit times is used for checking which of multiple predefined mathematical relationships comply with the distances calculated from the transit times, and one of multiple predefined equations is used for calculating a distance as a function of the result of the check. The type and the relative position of the object may be inferred in this way.